The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its manifestations in theatre, musical theatre, film, television and other media are embraced as a unique and iconic American children’s series. But L. Frank Baum’s original book and its sequels represent, in the minds of many scholars, an astute political allegory that critiques the phenomenon of populism in the late 19th century. In this respect the populist movement of the 1890’s bears striking resemblance to recent American political history. This production explored and exploited the allegorical connections within Baum’s tale and integrate them into a contemporary and vibrant adaptation of one of the most prominent descendants of Baum’s legacy, The Wiz.

In addition to the live orchestra (12-16 piece) this show featured a DJ as the focal point of the orchestra, active and visible, like the pit singers who are also an essential part of the presentation. Music involved extensive pre-recording, sampling, addition of backbeats to fill out the original R&B arrangements.